Girl Talk
by charmedsilence
Summary: Mai and Suki share a cup of tea and much more as a conversation about their boyfriends turns serious.


**Girl Talk**

"Do you ever wonder what your life would be like without Zuko?" Suki sipped her tea, looking over the cup's rim at Mai. Her big eyes, a lovely greenish-blue, were full of curiosity.

"I don't have to." The raven haired girl stared back. "I lost him for three years and then again for three weeks."

"Yeah, I know." Putting her cup down, the Kyoshi Warrior touched Mai's hand with her own, a brief touch, but one that solidified the burgeoning friendship between the two young women. "But what about now?"

"No; but sometimes I have dreams….nightmares." Mai shuddered, an almost imperceptible movement. "With the attempts on his life, the possibility is all too real."

Suki slapped her forehead, a very Sokka like gesture and mumbled an apology. How could she have been so thoughtless? "Sometimes I speak without thinking. Oh wow, maybe I'm spending _too _much time with Sokka."

"Don't worry about it. I know what you're getting at."

Relieved, Suki continued. "Sokka drives me crazy sometimes." She grinned and recalled some of the Water Tribesman's goofier moments. "And sometimes I need to get away, you know, be by myself. When you're single, you're free, in one way, free from worrying about your boyfriend and what he's doing and thinking and how your actions will affect him. All the schedule adjustments and fitting in visits can be a pain. But I guess it's different for you and Zuko. You're not torn between two places like Sokka and I are."

"That's true. And when Zuko and I are alone together, and he's not all frazzled and worried and can relax, I feel freer and more open, more _me_, than I ever have before." Tracing circles on the table with long, black lacquered nails, Mai sighed. She kept her eyes down. "Trouble is, he's not like that much."

"He's under a lot of pressure. It will get better in time. "

"I guess." The grim line of Mai's lips did not reflect the subdued optimism of her words. She worried. She wondered. And she kept it all to herself.

"What else?" A servant glided into the small sitting room with fresh tea. The two young women waited until she'd left again before continuing the conversation. "Mai, look, I know you're not the chatty, confessional type. And I respect that. But if you need to talk about something, I'll listen. I like to think that we're friends." Suki gave Mai a crooked smile. "We _are_ friends, aren't we?"

Mai shrugged. "It's not like I have a lot of experience in that area, but, yeah, I'd say so."

"Good…." Suki hesitated. "So, _is_ there something you want to talk about?"

Sitting still, her features impassive, Mai fought an internal battle before releasing a puff of air. "I think I might be losing Zuko again." She sounded surprisingly small and frightened. And beneath the fear was anger.

"What do you mean?" The Kyoshi Warrior leaned forward, into Mai's space, eager to listen, eager to help.

Mai, in turn, leaned back a bit. She didn't like when people got too close, people other than Zuko. "He's keeping things from me. It's like I'm on the periphery of his life only. It's like I don't matter. I think the servants know more than I do."

"Oh, Mai…Have you talked to him?"

"He doesn't hear." Mai sighed once more. She crossed her arms over her chest as if protecting herself from further hurt. "And I think that I've had enough."

"What do you plan to do?"

"What would you do, Suki?"

She didn't need to reply. Her expression said everything. "I'm here for you. And I'm here for Zuko too. I hate this. I hate seeing people who love each other fall apart."

"Yeah, well, I need to live with some sort of dignity. I respect myself, even if Zuko doesn't."

"He respects you, Mai."

"No!" Suki was astonished by the vehemence of Mai's words. They drove her back into her chair like a powerful gust of wind. Mai's cheeks flushed pink and she shook with rage. "Lies and deceit and neglect are not part of respect. He's too wrapped up in himself to even see what he's done to our relationship. I deserve better."

"You're right, Mai. You do deserve better."

Somehow a lighthearted conversation, a pleasant cup of tea with a friend, had become a revelation. Somehow, a relationship once full of promise had withered and its death was imminent. A quiet sadness hung over the table now.

Mai poured herself another cup and gazed out the window. She was exhausted and she'd said more than she intended. But she felt lighter too and better able to face her tomorrow. For that she was grateful.

"Thank you."

The words were a whisper, but Suki felt their sincerity. And _she_ felt lighter too.


End file.
